Mortonhall Crematorium report published

Published Wednesday, 30th April 2014

An independent report into practices at Mortonhall Crematorium, Edinburgh has been published today (Wednesday 30 April 2014).

The Mortonhall Investigation
report was commissioned by the City of Edinburgh Council’s Chief Executive
Sue Bruce in January 2013 after concerns were raised about practices at the
crematorium and has been authored by the former Lord Advocate of Scotland, the
Rt Hon Dame Elish Angiolini QC DBE.

The remit of the report was to establish the facts regarding practices relating
to the cremation of babies at Mortonhall Crematorium and to learn lessons that
will ensure best practice for the future.

Dame Elish interviewed bereaved families, current and former members of
crematorium staff, representatives from funeral directors, staff from other
crematoria, support groups and health professionals and took opinion from
experts in the field of human anthropology, law and forensic accountancy. The
report, with annexes, extends to over 600 pages in total.

The report contains 22 recommendations which will now be taken forward by the
Council and other relevant agencies.

Sue Bruce, Chief Executive, City of Edinburgh Council, said: “On behalf of
the Council, I would like to offer my sincere apologies to the bereaved
families for the distress they have suffered as a result of the practices at
Mortonhall Crematorium. I realise that the past year-and-a-half has been very
difficult for the families involved and wish to thank them all for their co-operation
with the investigation and their contribution to the report.

“I would also like to thank Dame Elish Angiolini and her team for their hard
work on this important and sensitive investigation. Dame Elish has made many
important recommendations, some of which relate directly to working practices
at Mortonhall. I will be working with Council colleagues and elected members to
take these forward.

“It is also clear from the recommendations that there are far-reaching
implications regarding cremation practices and the legislative framework not
just for Edinburgh but across Scotland and the United Kingdom and I will be
working with the Scottish Government and other relevant organisations to address these
concerns.

“We will now consult with families and relevant organisations regarding
their views on a suitable memorial.

“It is vital that we learn from this and look to the future. We must ensure
that the highest possible standards are adhered to at Mortonhall and that
nothing like this can happen again.”

All families involved have been sent a copy of the report by courier this
morning along with an individual case summary containing details of their case.

Section 5 of the report relates to individual cases containing personal and
sensitive information about the families involved. Having taken legal advice
and consulted with the Office of the Information Commissioner, the Council has
made redactions to this section to protect the privacy of these families and
third parties.